Anxious wait on Ebor

TODAY’S second day of York’s prestigious Ebor Festival has been cancelled with an inspection due at noon to see whether the final two days of the meeting can go ahead.

The racecourse, already reeling from the cancellation of Tuesday’s first day of the Ebor meeting, will now hope that the popular Ladies Day on Thursday and the first Friday fixture of the Ebor Festival can run as planned.

A course inspection at 4pm yesterday saw York abandon today’s racing – which included the feature Ebor Handicap – following the cancellation of yesterday’s racing which included the Juddmonte International race.

That will now take place on Friday if racing goes ahead.

The Ebor race meeting is York’s most lucrative event of the year and a feature in the diaries of many in the region’s business community.

More than £2.7m in prize money – a record figure – was on offer over the four-day festival.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to make the journey to the Knavesmire this week.

York’s management have yet to put a figure on what the cancellation of the first two days of the meeting will cost them.

Advance booked general admission and tickets will be automatically refunded for Tuesday and Wednesday.